It’s another busy week for cabaret and burlesque in London so with zip, zero and zilch further ado, here are our zingers of the week.
Zinger Of The Week
If you like your musical theatre, you're in for a treat this Sunday as The Ruby Dolls return to Jermyn Theatre (£12/£10). We loved their last show with its clever mix of politics, history, humour, storytelling and storming tunes and their latest show is no different as they fuse klezmer, Coward and tango to tell the cross-continental story of four women over forty years. Unmissable.
Monday Zingers: Eyes down! Tonight may be lucky for some (especially large ladies in pairs and those with droopy drawers) at the Bingo Pub Night down at the RVT (free entry, £1 per round). Expect a full house, songs, banter and, um, a Cher doll. Then again, you can start your week with something edifying - Hans Liberg at Cadogan Hall (£29.50) is a renowned sit-down comedian-cum-classical musician who hits the funny bone while pounding the ivories.
Tuesday's Zinger: Starting tonight (and for the next four Tuesdays), UnderConstruction at Bistrotheque (£5) will be showcasing some of the best new and current cabaret acts. Turn up tonight to experience London's best live mashup act Pistol and Jack, the best of last week's Alternative Eurovision Ophelia Bitz plus Ingenue St John, Claire Benjamin and Lavinia Co-Op.
Wednesday's Zingers: At Positively 4th Street, you can get two top character comediennes for a whole pound as Sarah-Louise Young brings us the latest Cabaret Whore action and Cariad Lloyd introduces us to Jacques Le Cock, parkour expert and rapper, and her other creations. If you want something more interactive, get down to the RVT for Dr Sketchy (£8.50 in advance /£10 on the door) where you can unleash your inner Picasso while being entertained by host Dusty Limits and burlesque dancers Chocolat and Trixy Tassels. Is it any good? By the end of the night, you'll be able to draw your own conclusions.
Thursday's Zingers: There's mystery, music and magic at the BGWMC's David Lynch-themed Double R Club (£10) tonight. Burlesque bombshell Kiki Kaboom plus six other acts combine for a cabaret cocktail that would spin Agent Cooper's head Linda Blair-style. Over at Bistrotheque, Drag Lab's Jonny Woo (£5) will be putting on his blinged safety goggles, firing up his Bunsen burner and bringing us live science through video, song, rap and some performance art.
Friday's Zinger: ArtWank goes north to Islington's Screen On The Green (£13.50/£11) with a special midnight screening of vintage porn alongside burlesque from Fancy Chance, music from Tom Baker and a mini-lecture from one of London's top domina. Also starting a five-week run is international burlesquer Lady Beau Peep and her League Of The Extraordinary (£35+ with food, £10 standing). Park your sheep outside and enjoy this week's selection of burlesque, boylesk, fire-eating, trapeze and even more burlesque at the Brickhouse.
Saturday's Zingers: Line-up of the week can be found at Cafe de Paris' Wam Bam Club (£35-£90) as must-see cabaret singers Frisky and Mannish, world-class juggler Mat Ricardo, hilarious comedienne Ria Lina, firebreather Hooray Henry Higgins and boylesk troupe The Cubs take to this famous West End stage. Alternatively, if you fancy a singalong, you can catch Edited at the King's Head Theatre (£8.50) for their late night one-off show of new and contemporary musical theatre or pop down to HipstervilleShoreditch to see the Gypsy Hotel (£6.66 before 9.30pm with correct change only, £9.99 after) where you can hear surf noir, blues punk, gypsy violin and squeezebox supremo Tom Baker.
Sunday's Zingers: If the Zinger Of The Week doesn't appeal then head down to Soho Theatre where mashup maestros Pistol & Jack host their own event tonight. This month's Sunday Service (£10/£6) features EastEnd Cabaret, Kitty Cointreau, Holly Burn and Luke Meredith. Then again, if you spent all your disposable income betting on those crazy Moldovans to win, you can enjoy comedy magician Christian Lee's show at the CellarDoor for a very round price.
Special mention: On Tuesday week (May 24), Londonist favourites EastEnd Cabaret will play a charity night in Hither Green in aid of murdered teenager Jimmy Mizen. All profits will go to the Jimmy Mizen foundation. More details on the event can be found here.
Jokingly described by themselves as "Who Do You Think You Are - The Musical", the Ruby Dolls take us behind the scenes of their latest show, Rubies In The Attic.
